The present invention relates to switching structures.
As is well known, there are many electrically controlled circuits which require a relatively large number of switches, commonly known as keyboards. These switches may be normally closed, normally open, or they may be switches designed when operated to open one electrical circuit and close another electrical circuit. Where relatively large numbers of such switches are required, particularly where they must be grouped together at a single central location such as at a suitable console where control of relatively involved circuitry is to be carried out, it is exceedingly difficult on the one hand to group the relatively large number of switches together in a relatively small space and on the other hand to provide a relatively simple inexpensive structure which will reliably provide the desired controls in a convenient manner.
At the present time known assemblies of switches of this type require a relatively large number of elements of complex construction to be assembled together so that on the one hand the cost of the conventional structure is undesirably high, on the other hand an undesirably large space is occupied thereby, and in addition the weight of the structure is undesirably great and the complex components give rise to faulty operation which require fairly extensive maintenance operations to be performed. In addition, the conventional structure requires such a large space that it cannot always be accomodated in a given available space without resorting to special costly constructions.